NPA National Paddleball Association

WWW.PADDLEBALL.ORG

NPA, 7642 Kingston, Portage, Mich. 49002 NEWSLETTER / SPRING 2012-2013

(INDOOR / FOUR-WALL)

By JIM OWENS

The hosting area of the

2013 NPA Midwest Singles

Championships -- Kalamazoo,

Mich. -- has certainly been one of

the largest stables of tournament

players for years.

Lou Giampetroni, our

newsletter editor and our most

dependable source for paddleball

history, ranks the area as the No.1

All hail Kalamazoo, Michigan!

NPA history than any other area in

the country.

Ed Maher credits the “Otto

League” with Kalamazoo’s success

in doubles, along with the influence

of the “best doubles team ever”

(Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell).

Please see HAIL on Page 3

Paddleballers from the Kalamazoo area gather to show off their trophies at a tournament in 1983 inMidland, Mich. All were a big part of the PB scene in the 1980s and 1990s and some into the 21stcentury. They are (from left) Joe Emaar, Doug Greene, George Hobbs, Andy Mitchell, Andy Kasalo,Jeff Burkham, Dean Pennala, Brad Ex and Bill Farmer.

source of tournament players over

the years. I believe the area owns

more national championships in

The National Paddleball Association awards two major trophies atthe end of each season.

They are the Earl Riskey Memorial Trophy and the SportsmanshipTrophy.

The Riskey is awarded in honor of the founder of the great game ofpaddleball to the “person who has contributed most to the sport.”

The Sportsmanship Trophy is given annually to the person “whomost represents the American ideal of good sportsmanship under extremecompetitive conditions.”

Only six players have received both trophies in the nearly 50 yearssince the first was awarded in 1968.

They are: Randy Wackerle, Jim Owens, Mark Smith, Randy Hoyle,Mike Cooperstock and Lou Giampetroni.

Riskey: Wackerle Owens Smith Hoyle Giampetroni Cooperstock 1982 1989 1992 1987 1978 1996

Sportsmanship: 1981 1985 1997 1998 1977 1991 2010

Owens is the only player to have won the Sportsmanship Trophytwice -- in 1985 and 25 years later in 2010.

Lorri Brigham, the NPA secretary-treasurer, has the distinction ofbeing the only person to win the Riskey twice, in 1986 and 2005.

Six have won both NPA major awards

Lorri Brigham Two Riskey Awards

Jim Owens Two Sportsmanships

Page 2

OPEN: Andrew Price def. KevinMcLaughlin, 21-10, 21-14.

KALAMAZOO,Mich. -- Andrew Price ofFreeland, Mich., won theNPA’s Midwest Singles Cham-pionship on Jan. 20, 2013, atthe Bronson Athletic Club.

Andrew was impressivethroughout the tournament,displaying considerable skilland speed.

He defeated anotherfine young player, KevinMcLaughlin, of Kalamazoo, inan exciting open final, 21-10,21-14.

When asked to com-ment on the match, Kevinnoted:

“Andrew played a greatmatch and employed an effec-tive mix of crisp kills and passshots.

“His speed and powermake him a tough competitorand his game seems to still beimproving. He’s fun to playagainst.”

Andrew Pricegrabs MidwestSingles crown

Andrew is sponsored byEktelon as a racquetballer andhis victory was featured on thefirm’s Facebook page.

-- JIM OWENS

Andrew Price

MIDWEST SINGLES RESULTS

MEN’S A (Dropdown fromOpen): Mike Wisniewski def.Joe Baldori, 21-17, 21-18.MEN’S B: Chad Krager (left-handed) def. Matt Kollig, 19-21,21-18, 21-17; third, Ron Harris.MEN’S C: Jim Price def. AdamKoehler, 21-16, 21-8.MASTERS: Andy Mitchell def.Robert Stone, injury forfeit.GOLDEN MASTERS: AndyMitchell def. Jim Owens, 21-15,21-6; third, Jim Swendris.GOLDEN B (dropdown): JaredArnold won by no-show forfeit.

SAGINAW FUN DOUBLES(Saginaw, Mich. YMCA)Jan. 26, 2013

Teams were divided intotwo divisions: A and B.

Mike Wisniewski andJim Richter teamed to win the Agroup. Ron Malecki and GregKeenan were second.

Jim Howland and KeithThurlow won the B division.Jim Price and Jody Henningwere second.

summertime grab-bag doubles tournament and pig

roast will mark its 37th year this summer.

“The Pig Roast and Human Sacrifice” is one

of a kind and consistently a good time. You never

know beforehand who your partner is until the

tournament starts.

Otto and JR (Andy Kasalo) start cooking the

pig in the early morning. The delicious results are

served late afternoon.

Paddleball players and others arrive at

varying times in the afternoon and evening.

The “Woody” is awarded to a player who has

demonstrated a zest for life. The “Honoree” or the

“Human Sacrifice” -- in addition to having his or her

caricature pictured on shirts given to tournament

participants -- must eat the eye of the pig.

The Kalamazoo area has contributed a great

deal to the running of the National Paddleball

Association. Currently, three key members of the

NPA Board of Managers are from the area -- Andy

Mitchell, Ed Maher and Lorri Brigham.

Each has been a recipient of the Earl Riskey

Memorial Trophy for their contributions to the

sport.

Page 3

HAILContinued from Page 1

Andy Mitchell, NPA regional representative

and 1997 Riskey Award winner, has been a fixture at

NPA tournaments since the mid-1970s.

He has amassed the most national titles in

the history of the game. I counted 38 -- 3 open

singles, 20 open doubles, 1 senior singles, 2 senior

doubles, 5 masters singles, 5 masters doubles, 1

golden masters singles, 1 golden masters doubles.

Of the 20 open titles Mitchell and partner

Andy Kasalo claimed, 15 were consecutive.

Mitchell is still a force in any division he

enters. He continues to be an active board member;

being involved in all of the major policy decisions of

the day.

The 1998 Riskey winner, Ed Maher, serves

as our Web-master, chairman of the Otto League,

and as a vice president of the NPA. Ed put us on the

approval of paddles, rules, buying of balls, a list

of places to play, announcements, links, and

more. This summer, Ed put the NPA on

Facebook.

Ed has been the chairman of the Otto

League since 2001, preceded by Steve Dinges

and Matt Kollig. He is a very competitive

player locally and in NPA tournament, in

addition to being a major contributor to the

local and national paddleball organizations. He

has claimed 2 national titles. Andy Mitchell and

Ed are the reigning Masters Doubles

Champions.

Lou Giampetroni sums up Lorri’s

contributions to our sport -- “ I hate to think

about the NPA without Lorri. Of course, there

are others who have contributed -- but she’s

the key.”

If you are at all aware of the NPA, you

know Lou hit the nail on the head.

She is the only person to date to receive

the Earl Riskey award twice: 1986 and 2005. I

heard a player once say that she should win it

every year.

Lorri, who has not played paddleball in

years and does not get paid, keeps it going for

the rest of us. The NPA is clearly a labor of

love for Lorri. We all owe our vice-president/

treasurer/tournament director an immense debt

of gratitude.

Three years ago, the board of managers

changed the name of the Fall Doubles

Tournament to the Lorri Brigham Classic. This,

the Earl Riskey Awards and other gestures

reflect how much we value her efforts.

Steve “Otto” Dinges started the league in the

early ‘80s; it has provided area players with

competitive matches for nearly thirty years.

The annual Kalamazoo

web in 1997 and has kept it updated since.

www.paddleball.org is now an integral

part of the NPA. We rely on it for tournament

information, schedules and entries, newsletters,

Page 4

Champs Todd Entrikin (left) and Mike Orr.

Todd Entrikin and MikeOrr won the 2013 West CoastDoubles Championship on Febru-ary 2 at the Sorrento ValleyFitness Center in San Diego.

Entrikin-Orr defeatedAaron Embry and Kevin Williamsin the open final.

“We had an Open/Adivision with nine teams playingin a round-robin,” said JimmyCoggburn, Sorrento Valleymanager.

“Then by point totals, wehad a one-game final between thetop teams in each flight.

“Then from the drop-

Entrikin, Orr grab West Coast titledown teams, we had the Adivision final, with the top point-getters out of that group.”

Other winners:A division -- Peter

Callstrom-Steve Price def. JoeSki-Dave Ratynski.

Upper B -- Greg Childs-Jeff Thon def. Dan Trubovitz-Greg Swanson.

Lower B -- Ryan Hase-Mike Trent def. Len Sonnenberg-Bruce Beare.

C division -- JeffJanovetz-Carlos Contreras def.Aaron Embry (left-handed) andAndy Tabar.

Kreinin

Mordechai E. Kreininwas a pretty good paddleballplayer (he was known as Maxto most of us).

The E. Lansing, Mich.,resident, an expert on econom-ics, was a faculty member atMichigan State University.

He was one of thehundreds of players whoplayed shortly after the reorga-nization of the NPA in the late1970s.

He usually played withLou Hekhuis, the long-timepresident of the NPA.

Kreinin had one na-tional masters doubles title tohis credit (1986) and severallesser wins, usually withHekhuis.

With hisPB back-ground,Kreinin usedan exampleinvolving thesport in aneconomictext hewrote. It concerned “supply”and read:

“The following experi-ment may be useful in generat-ing a supply schedule.

“Assume that this classconsists of 500 students. Yourinstructor is about to partici-pate in a paddleball tournamentand is in need of cheerleaders.

“If the instructor offersan A grade for each studentwho comes to cheer, therewould undoubtedly be 500volunteers.”

Then, using lessergrade possibilities, Kreinin saidthere would be fewer volun-teers.

In his usual dry style,Kreinin said: “A bunch ofpeople said they liked theexample but they all said:“What is paddleball?” -- LOU GIAMPETRONI

Max’s example

highlighted PB

OPEN: Andrew Price-Chad Krager def. AndyMitchell-Kevin McLaughlin, 21-17, 18-21, 21-17.MEN’S A: Eugene Rush-Kevin McLaughlin def.Ron Glosser-Pete Ruhala, 10-21, 21-20, 21-17; 3rd,Paul Sylvester-Don Kirkconnell.MEN’S B: Ron Harris-Matt Kollig def. JaredArnold-Scott Schrum, 21-13, 21-6; 3rd, Bret Mitea-Paul Toth.MASTERS: Andy Mitchell-Pete Ruhala def. JimSwendris-Scott Lawrence, 21-13, 21-5; 3rd, RonHarris-Greg Keenan.GOLDEN MASTERS: Sandy DeGreif-RonMalecki def. Jim Swendris-Jim Owens, 21-12, 17-21,21-12; 3rd, Jim Howland-Steve Fleckenstein.MIXED: Natalie Gilbert-Andrew Price def. JudyShirley-Jim Owens, 21-19, 21-18.

2013 Midwest Doubles Results

Page 5

By LOU GIAMPETRONIAndrew Price and Chad Krager won

the 2013 NPA Midwest Doubles Champion-ship February 10 at the Michigan Athletic Clubin E. Lansing, Mich.

But it wasn’t easy.They managed to survive in a

humdinger of a match over Andy Mitchell andKevin McLaughlin, 21-17, 18-21, 21-17.

Price, 21, of Freeland, Mich., who issponsored by Ektelon as a racquetballer,hammers the paddleball in the style of thehardest hitters in the game.

He reminds one of Steve Wilson, thefour-time NPA national singles champion ofthe early 1980s.

Wilson, of Flint, Mich., hit the ball hardALL the time. Every shot. So does Price.

Mitchell, generally considered the bestdoubles player in the history of the sport, wasthe “old timer” in the foursome at 59. He andMcLaughlin switched sides throughout thematch. Mitchell held his own against thebooming shots of Price most of the time.

But every once in a while, he haddifficulty handling them. So did McLaughlin,who is 29. In a match like that, just a few“handcuffers” can mean the difference.

Price-Krager controlled the first gameand little by little eked out a win. But Mitchell-McLaughlin got going in the second and hadleads of 7-3, 11-4, 14-4 and 17-7. Mitchell-McLaughlin won it although Price-Kragermade a strong bid near the end and narrowedthe margin.

Krager, of Bay City, Mich., played theright side and occasionally was content to letPrice come across behind him and take the

Champions Chad Krager (left) and Andrew Price

Andrew Price, Kragercapture Midwest Doublestitle in barnburnerover Mitchell-McLaughlin

shot when Mitchell-McLaughlin of Kalamazoo,Mich., kept the ball away from the youngster.

The game was similar to the first with Price-Krager taking a lead and hanging on to comfortablynotch the victory.

Said Krager: “Andrew was on fire.”Said Price in an E-mail: “Our strategy ...

was to get Mitchell tired. Also, the way Chad and Iplay together is Chad making great defensive shots

and myself shooting every ball I can. We are a greatteam.”

Price thanked his sponsor, Ektelon, for itssupport “and everyone else that has supported methroughout the years in both sports; paddleball andracquetball have made me the person I am today.”

He also gave credit to his father, Fred Price,“for teaching everything I know about both rac-quetball and paddleball.”

Price was asked which he prefers.“I would normally say that I like racquetball

more but the more I play paddles the more it growson me,” he said.

“I really like how in paddleball there is morestrategy to it than racquetball; kind of like a gameof chess whereas in racquets it’s shorter rallies andall about the serve.”

How does Price hit the ball so hard?“Hitting the ball hard is something I learned

from racquets and having good form helps too.”Andy Mitchell (left) and Kevin McLaughlin

Price also found time to win the MidwestMixed Doubles title with Natalie Gilbert ofSaginaw, Mich. They topped Judy Shirley andJim Owens, of the Ann Arbor, Mich., area, 21-19, 21-18.

By JIM OWENS

The 2013 National Paddleball

Association National Singles Championships will

be held in Lombard, Illinois, March 2nd and 3rd, at

Glass Court Swim and Fitness.

The Glass Court is a full-service athletic

facility with eight courts and a bar; housing the

only three-wall glass court in the state of Illinois.

The website is: www.glasscourt.com

This will be the first NPA tournament at

the Glass Court and the fourth national NPA

tournament in the Chicago area (Chicagoland).

Additionally, Chicagoland has hosted a

number of Midwest Championships and 15

consecutive annual three-wall outdoor

tournaments.

When summer nears each year, I look

forward to traveling to Chicagoland and playing

marathon paddleball in the grab bag-formatted

three-wall outdoor tournament. I encourage you

to give it a try, if you haven’t already.

The primary force behind Chicagoland

paddleball is, without question, Dennis Negrete.

The NPA awarded Denny the 2002 Earl Riskey

Award for his considerable contributions. He has

served on the NPA Board of Managers for

several years, is currently a regional

representative for the Chicago area, and

promotes paddleball whenever he can.

Negrete is a formidable left-sided

doubles player with an explosive backhand. He

and Bay City, Mich.’s Chad Krager have teamed

to be one of the NPA’s best doubles teams in

recent years.

They claimed the national open title in

2010; finished second in open and won the

seniors national title in 2011. Denny has also had

success in singles and promises to be a

contender in open, March 2nd and 3rd. Negrete

owns two national singles titles in seniors: 2003

and 2004, and finished 2nd in both in seniors and

open in 2011.

Chicago area to showcase NPA’s best singles playersThis national singles tournament could

feature one of the most talent-laden open

divisions we have seen in years. Following is a

list of some of the players who intend to enter

open in addition to Negrete.

Cesar Carrillo of Memphis, Tennessee,

the reigning national champion, has entered

three previous NPA singles tournaments, never

lost a game, and claimed a national title in each:

2009, 2010, and 2012. Certainly, the masterful

Cesar will be the No. 1 seed.

At least three serious contenders are

expected from California: Todd Entrikin,

Emmett Coe, and Justin Ivers. Entrikin has

claimed a share of four national doubles titles

and finished second to Cesar in singles last year.

Coe teamed with Brian Pineda to win

last year’s open national doubles championship

and the open division at the 3 Wall Ball World

Championships.

Emmett is eager to make his mark in

open singles this year. Justin is a fine young

player with a lot of potential.

Michigan will, in all likelihood, send the

largest open contingent -- Mike Wisniewski,

Andrew Price, Don Kirkconnell, Brandon

Creamer, Kevin McLaughlin and Joe and Sam

Baldori.

The remarkable “Wiz” has earned more

national open singles titles than anyone in the

history of the game: 9. The last one was in 2010

at age 52.

Kevin has won two A national singles

titles, won the Midwest Open singles in 2012

and was runner-up this year. Don won the 2011

A national singles title.

Brandon has developed into a

competitive open-level singles player. The

Baldoris -- Joe and Sam -- are very good with

considerable potential.

Page 6

Earl Riskey Memorial Trophy

Awarded in honor of the founder of the

great game of paddleball to the person who has

contributed most to the sport.

1976: Tom Ballantyne, Flint, Mich.

1977: The Rev. Walter L. Taylor, Flint, Mich.

1978: Lou Giampetroni, Flint, Mich.

1979: Dick Pitcher, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Lou Hekhuis, East Lansing, Mich.

1980: Ron Pudduck, Dexter, Mich.

1981: Andy Kasalo, Kalamazoo, Mich.

1982: Randy Wackerle, Bay City, Mich.

1983: Bob Paige, Dearborn, Mich.

1984: Ed Matusko, Pontiac, Mich.

1985: John Scheppele, Lansing, Mich.

1986: Lorri Brigham, Kalamazoo, Mich.

1987: Randy Hoyle, Midland, Mich.

1988: O. J. Cunningham, Bay City, Mich.

1989: Jim Owens, Ann Arbor, Mich.

1990: Bob Heitjan, Dearborn, Mich.

Carol Perrin, Dearborn, Mich.

1991: Joan Azeka, Chicago, Ill.

1992: Mark Smith, Wausau, Wis.

1993: Harv Tomter, Eau Claire, Wis.

1994: Terry Smith, Pontiac, Mich.

1995: Mike Wisniewski, Bay City, Mich.

1996: Mike Cooperstock, Ann Arbor, Mich.

1997: Andy Mitchell, Kalamazoo, Mich.

1998: Ed Maher, Kalamazoo, Mich.

1999: Cindy Cook, Ann Arbor, Mich.

2000: Mike Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis.

2001: Dave Haehnle, Brooklyn, Mich.

Gordy Hatt, Jackson, Mich.

2002: Dennis Negrete, Bloomingdale, Ill.

2003: Don Traxler, Midland, Mich.

2004: Charlie Brumfield, San Diego, CA

2005: Lorri Brigham, Kalamazoo, Mich.

2006: John Lowman, Owosso, Mich.

2007: Steve Keeley, Blythe, CA

2008: Chad Krager, Bay City, Mich.

2009: David Fleetwood, Memphis, TN

2010: Sonny Salazar, Adrian, Mich.

2011: Jimmy Coggburn, San Diego

2012: Todd Entrikin, Riverside, CA

Page 7

PADDLEBALL PROFILE

Page 8

“Great workout and great people after thegame to have a beer and talk.”

That’s what Paul Toth of Westland, MI,enjoys about playing paddleball.

Toth, 50, began playing the game in 1980.He is a driver for a beer company.Toth said he took a first in Men’s B in state

and national competition and a second place inopen.

Any suggestions on how tournaments can beimproved?

“Get younger people to play,” he said.

TOTH

‘These guys are good’ ... And they wereBy LOU GIAMPETRONI

One of the wonderful things about paddleballis remembering great matches in your career.

One such was a 1978 encounter with twolegendary players -- Gale Mikles and Herb Olsen --on the staff of Michigan State University.

My partner, the late Barry Lucas, and Ireached the final of the masters division against thepair in the National Doubles Tournament at Portage,Mich.

We had talked Mikles and Olsen into playingmasters.

They could have played in the division for anumber of years -- they were eligible age-wise -- butrefused to do so.

For years, Mikles and Olsen had played inthe open division -- despite their age which was alittle higher than most of the top-level hotshots.

And Mikles and Olsen beat several verygood open teams, once in a tournament final.

So there Lucas and I were -- playing Miklesand Olsen for the masters title.

I mean this was something special for us.Playing those guys.

Well, they won the first game rather com-fortably, 21-12. They were leading in the second

Gale Mikles (left) and Herb Olsen

21-20, as we scored 8 unanswered points.I remember as we walked out of the

court for the rest between games before goingin for the tiebreaker, Lucas bellowed: “We’regonna beat these (expletive deleted.).”

I said: “Hold on, these guys are good.”And they were, as they easily won the

tiebreaker, 21-8.But it still was a thrill for both of us to

have given Mikles-Olsen a pretty good run fortheir money.

I still have the trophy plate from thatmatch. On the back, I had placed a piece of tapewith the final score.

game, 20-13. That’s when Lucas, usuallystronger on defense, opened up and startingscoring some points for us.

We narrowed the margin. They hadseveral serves but couldn’t get match point.

We finally pulled out the second game,

NPA 2012-2013 Schedule

National Singles Tournament,March 2-3, 2013, Glass Court Swim& Fitness, Lombard, Ill.National Doubles Tournament,April 26-28, 2013, TournamentHouse, Riverside, CA

TRIBUTE TO LOU GIAMPETRONI

Lou Giampetoni has contributed a tremendous amount of time and energy to the NPA. We feel it is time to let

him know how much we appreciate his efforts. Below please find a set of quotes from selected paddleball

players of the past and present who know of and appreciate Lou’s contributions to the sport of paddleball.

Scott Lawrence, Lorri Brigham, and Jim Owens

I once made a wood carving of Lou's last name GIAMPETRONI and pulled out the letters NPA. I wrote

on the piece that "You can't take the NPA out of Giampetroni", and I'm sure Lou's wife Sue would agree!

I recently designed a button that had a picture of the world on it and printed "PADDLEBALL...the center of my universe".

I remember Lou telling me that button pretty much summed it up for him. We love you Lou and Sue,

and so does PADDLEBALL and all the players!

Wack

Lou is someone special. His creative writing--attention to detail-- fantastic memory--commitment and loyalty to Paddle Ball--and unending enthusiasm--have helped all of us to maintain an interest in, and love for, the great game of Paddle Ball.

Al Storey

There are few people in our circles that have had the kind of impact to the sport of paddleball that Lou

has!

Here are a few of things that really stand out from knowing Lou for the past 35 years of tourneys.

In all the years I have never known anyone with as much love for the game as Louy it's always there

and its contagious.

Lou's years of record taking and writing of our sport has really helped keep paddleball alive and on the

radar.

His words of encouragement and the analysis of my game over the years has been helpful and insightful.

Wiz

I don't know where the sport of paddleball would be without Lou. He is the one we rely on for keeping our history alive. I once had to do the newsletter for a few rounds while Lou was unable and until you have tried you can not comprehend how much work it takes to put that all together! Lou has been doing that for years with very little thanks or acknowledgement. However, all of those accomplishments pale in comparison to the great person that our Lou is. He is always smiling, cheerfull, our ambassador at all tourneys. Truly one of the nicest men I have ever, or will ever, meet. I feel honored to know you, Lou!

Lorri

LOU GIAMPETRONI: I REMEMBER HIS FACE & BODY A VERY SPECIAL PERSON--IN A SPECIAL SPORT!!!!

In 1965, at the age of 30, I was introduced to Paddleball by a friend, who took me to the Old IM Building at the University of Michigan, and proceeded to thump me really good. I vowed that “one day, I would beat him”, and months later when that day arrived, he introduced me to another friend, who proceeded to thump me. Finally, after 10 years of “meeting his friends”, I had improved enough to be playing in the court with guys like Paul Lawrence, Craig Finger, Rod Grambeau, Dick Pitcher and Moby Benedict. But, my days of learning on the paddleball courts were just beginning.

In 1976, at the age of 41 and weighing in at 163 pounds (remember that weight), I was talked into entering my first paddleball tourney. It was held by Marvin Gans at a local junior college and I entered as a “no name” player. Well, you might have guessed it--my first opponent was a short guy from Flint who had been forever involved in the operation to the NPA. Yes, Lou Giampetroni was the first opponent. Of course, Lou could only wonder--”who is this guy?” never heard of from Ann Arbor. In short, that was the first of many matches against this wonderful person. Lou remembers well me advancing to the finals where my opponent was John Shaw. John ran me around the court like a greyhound chasing a rabbit. Having the winning point on my paddle, I managed to blow the opportunity, and eventually lost to John, 21-20, 20-21, 21-20.

Well, that was the beginning of tournament paddleball and me, and my long friendship with Lou. I became seriously involved in paddleball. Dick Pitcher, my doubles partner, and I hosted many tourneys--and the first person there was always Lou--who came early to help. Lou was also always the last person there--to help shut down the event. With wife, Susan, the G’s contributed more that one could believe, and no one was more committed to the success of the sport.

Lou, almost single handedly, wrote the NPA Newsletter. We served on the NPA Board of Directors together--and Lou did the vast majority of the work for the association. He was “always the man”!

After I quit playing paddleball, I occasionally dropped in on paddleball tourneys to say “hi” to many great friends and players. Usually, Lou and Susan were there, and we relived the happy moments of the past. We met at many happy occasions and a few sad ones like Val’s funeral.

We both battled with health issues, but we have survived.

Well, many years passed, but I kept eating, and playing less and less. About 2 years ago, there was a tourney at that same Old IM Building, and I thought I should drop by to see “the guys”-- (now, with the grey hair). It had been quite a few pounds and years since I had last seen Lou and Susan. Weighing in at 240 pounds (now, you can remember the 163 pounds of 1976) I found Lou. We hugged and said nice things to each other. Then from out of the crowd came Susan, saying “I remember Ron Pudduck, I remember his face--I’ll never forget his face!” She quickly approached me stopped and said, “Ron Pudduck, I could never forget your face!” Then, slowly looking me up and down, Susan said, “But, I do not remember that body on you!”

Time moves on! But, friends are still friends--forever. In one’s life, you are lucky if you ever have a friend like Lou and Susan. My life has been “lucky” because I have had them as part of my life. And, for those of you who know them--you are lucky, too!!!

Ron Pudduck

Lou Giampetroni is truly a giant in the sport of paddleball. Nobody has done more for the game over such a

long period of time. I first met Lou in the early 1970’s and I think with awe about all of the tournaments

entered, seeding meetings attended and games officiated by Lou over those past forty years. He is gentleman

on and off the court. I am extremely proud to have been one of his many…many tournament doubles partners.

Lou, may you continue to play the great game of paddleball for many years to come.

Dick Pitcher

I believe Lou told me one time that no one person is greater than

the game of paddleball. However, even within that context, I believe

it is conceivable to say he just might be bigger. Perhaps, "No Lou =

No Newsletter = No NPA = No Paddleball." Lou is the Godfather of

Paddleball, and without him, well..."Who Knows?" Cheers to Louie G.,

a fine man and quintessential figure/supporter of paddleball, and

can’t imagine where paddleball would be without you!

Chad Krager

Lou was one of the reasons I kept playing paddleball. He gave so much to the game, was so much fun to play with, and he always had such good stories. I could and can still count on Lou to have some great story about some player in the past. He is part of the game now. He is a legend!

Andrew J Mitchell

Recently I had a conversation with Lou’s wife. Sue told me the late Tom Ballantine, a major contributor to

the NPA in his time, once said if Lou did as much for a business as he did for the NPA, they’d be millionaires.

Lou has unquestionably been and continues to be a workhorse for the organization. At age 80, he puts out

four quality newsletters a year, serves as our best resource for paddleball history, and functions as a valuable

member of the board of managers. I often seek and receive his counsel.

Paddleball is Lou’s passion. He has served as a role model for so many of us. If asked to list my heroes in

sports, Lou would be in the top two. Who has more fun playing the game?

If asked to list my heroes in life, Lou would certainly be on the short list. His sense of dedication, passion,

sportsmanship, sense of humor, respect for others, and integrity makes him an admirable individual in my

eyes. We who know Lou Giampetroni are better because of it.

Jim Owens

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Louie G. -- Mr. Paddleball of Flint, of Michigan and the NPA.

When thinking of the game, the first person who comes to mind is Lou.There was not a better worker, organizer or promoter for the game. He spent endless hours planning and organizing tournaments at all levels.

The game grew because of his many skills in communications with all players. He was nothing but a gentleman on and off the court. Don't get me wrong -- he would argue a "skip" with Val and I but he never won.

Louie loved the game and was a skilled and shrewd competitor.

Paddleballers everywhere know of the many contributions and the impact he left on the game. His name is synonymous with paddleball--even here in South Florida.

Your friend Max